Even the bourgeois press throughout Europe, which for
reactionary and selfish reasons defended the notorious status quo
in the Balkans, is now unanimous in acknowledging that a new chapter of
world history has begun.

The defeat of Turkey is beyond question. The victories won by the
Balkan states united in a quadruple alliance (Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro
and Greece) are tremendous. The alliance of these four states is a
fact. “The Balkans for the Balkan peoples” is something that has
already been achieved.

In Eastern Europe (Austria, the Balkans, Russia), the powerful
survivals of medievalism, which terribly hamper social development and the
growth of the proletariat, have not yet been abolished. These survivals are
absolutism (unlimited autocratic power), feudalism (landlordism and feudal
privileges) and the suppression of nationalities.

The class-conscious workers of the Balkan countries are the first to
put forward the slogan of a consistently democratic solution of the
national problem in the Balkans. That slogan calls for a Balkan federal
republic. The weakness of the democratic classes in the present-day Balkan
states (where the proletariat is small in number and the peasants are
downtrodden, disunited and illiterate) has resulted in an economically and
politically indispensable alliance be coming an alliance of Balkan
monarchies.

The national question in the Balkans has taken a big stride towards its
settlement. Of all the states of Eastern Europe, Russia alone
remains the most backward today.

Although the alliance which has come into being in the Balkans is an
alliance of monarchies and not of republics, and although this alliance has
come about through war and not through revolution, a great step has
nevertheless been taken towards doing away with the survivals of
medievalism throughout Eastern Europe. And you are rejoicing prematurely,
nationalist gentlemen! That step is against you, for there are
more survivals of medievalism in Russia than anywhere
else!

As for Western Europe, the proletariat there is still more vigorously
proclaiming the slogan: No intervention! The Balkans for the Balkan
peoples!